Anti-psychotic drugs a danger for elderly with dementia

Elderly people with dementia run more than three times the risk of hospitalisation or death from short term use of antipsychotic drugs to control their problems, than demented patients who do not use the drugs.

According to findings published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, death or hospitalisation can happen quickly, within a month of the patient taking the anti-psychotic drugs.

The anti-psychotic drugs are often prescribed as short- erm treatment to reduce rage and confusion often associated with dementia, and previous studies have associated the drugs with falls, strokes, and death, but the risk potential for death and other serious risks was examined in this research for the first time.

The Canadian research team found that patients taking a class of anti-psychotic drugs, including generics haloperidol and loxapine, were 3.8 times more likely to be hospitalised or die, while elderly patients taking newer medicines, including Zyprexa and Risperdal, had 3.2 times more risk of death or complications.

The researchers said that “our results exploring serious adverse events likely identify only the tip of the iceberg.

“Anti-psychotic drugs should be prescribed with caution even for short term therapy”, they said.